Genera or species names that are synonyms of current names are denoted with a ~.

The basiosynonym of a species is denoted with a "*". The basiosynonym is the very first name that a species had before it was changed to the current species name. If you have a name in parenthesis preceding another name, the name in parentheses is the basiosynonym. An example: ~*Ophrys bicolor Naegeli - See Ophrys apifera var. bicolor (Naegeli) Nelson: Ophyrs bicolor is the basiosynonym and in the current name the parentheses, (Naegeli), is the namer of the basiosynonym, while Nelson is the namer of the current species Ophyrs apifera var. bicolor.

If a genus is complete [all of the species are represented] it is preceded by a `

! denotes the Type Species of the genus

* denotes the basionym or original name with the same species taxon

I have decided to include synonyms in the alphabetical listings because I have found it frustrating to find that some growers do not stay currrent in their plant names and as such we the consumer end up buying a plant that we feel is an exotic different species only to find that it is a plant that we have had for years under the correct name. An example, Brassavola rhopalorrhachis Rchb.f is actually the common species Brassavola nodosa [L]Lindley.

This is another of the large genera with over 1000 known species throughout tropical Americas and the Caribbean. It is distinguished by a slit rostellum and the lip is united with the column creating a nectary tube that continues through the pedicel. Many of this genus have reed like stems but they also can have thickened psuedobulbs. This is a genera that much work needs to be done to make it more uniform. Culture for this group is as diverse as the climates that they occur in, from tropical lowlands to high alpine cloud forests, but as a rule most appreciate intermediate conditions and an even watering and fertilizing schedule. There are many terrestrial species in this group as well as epiphytes so culture is important. The only common factor is good drainage. This genus is part of the Cattleya alliance and is often used in breeding orchids.

A huge thank you to Eric Hagsater and the AMO Herbarium for his and its invaluable assistance with most all aspects of understanding this genus!

The Groups of Epidendrum that have been created so far are provisional and have not been formally described as yet, in them, many but not all of the species listed in this encyclopedia are listed below:

GROUP Aggregatum Characterized by the caespitose habit, cane-like stems sometimes branching around the middle, with several short, racmose, lateral inflorescence

GROUP Albertii Characterized by the sympodial habit with laterally compressed to ancipitous to fusiform-thickened stems giving rise to both terminal and lateral, racemose, distichous inflorescence with more or less imbricating bracts and carrying a single successive flower.

Group Albomarginatum Characterized by the monopodial, verticle, scandent, zigzag habit, cane-like below stems, somewhat thickened along the apical middle-half or third to form a fusiform pseudobulb, the new stem originating just below the thickened part of the previous stem, apically bifoliate. The leaves are linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong in shape.

GROUP Alpicolum Characterized by the simple, cane-like stems, narrowly elliptic acute leaves, long, narrow, 1 to 2 spathaceous bracts giving rise to a foxtail-like inflorescence with small flowers with a lip that is fleshy, prominently midveined when dry, a triangular midlobe and large, orbicular lateral lobes that are larger in surface area than the midlobe, also with a prominent, emarginate, entire clinandrium

GROUP Amblostomioides Characterized by the caespitose habit, the thinly fusiform stems carrying narrow, apically bilobed, subcoriaceous leaves distributed towards the apical half of the stem that blooms on an often large, apical, erect, paniculate infloresence carrying greenish yellow to white flowers with a 3 lobed lip and with the ovaries and sepals usually dorsally pubescent

GROUP Anceps Characterized by the simple stems giving rise to a generally elongate, compound racemose inflorescence producing new successive racemes over time and carrying fleshy flowers with filiform to narrowly spatulate petals

GROUP Andean Characterized by the monopodial stems branched above, the ovate to ovate-elliptic, acute to short acuminate leaves, the lateral sepals obliquely united to the base of the column, and clearly three lobed lip

GROUP Arbusculum Characterized by the successive lateral growths arising from the middle of the previous stem and carrying a few leaves aggregate towards the apex that blooms on an arching, terminal inflorescence with membraneous, colorful flowers with a bicallose lip.

GROUP Batesii Characterized by the new stems arising in the apical half of the basal stem and can be as along as basal stem and those closest to the apex are produced first, then later but shorter stems arise further down the basal stem.

GROUP Bicirrhatum Characterized by the caespitose habit and simple, short, leafy stems blooming with a compact, nodding inflorescence with conspicuous floral bracts as long as the ovary and carrying many fleshy, green and or white flowers with a deeply bilobulate lip with sometimes cirrhate lobules and thin, unequal pollina with the inner pair being smaller without being of the bird-wing type.

Group Blepharistes
Characterized by the sympodial, creeping habit, the erect, thickened below to fusiform above below the leaves, an apical, elongate, racemose inflorescence with new ones arising from the nodes of the peduncle carrying resupinate, bicallose flowers.

GROUP Bracteosum Characterized by the sympodial, caespitose habit with laterally compressed, ancipitous, few leafed stems enveloped by tubular, scarious sheaths that blooms on a racemose to paniculate, 3 to 11 flowered, arching inflorescence with prominent, acute floral bracts, and carrying partly spreading flowers with an entire lip, generally auriculate at the base with a tricarinate disc that is also 4 cuniculate on each side of the calli which also has fleshy laminar thickenings below

GROUP Capitellatum Characterized by the erect succulent stems with non-articulate leaves, a spherical head of fleshy greenish flowers with a bicallose lip and has no spathaceous bracts

GROUP Carolii Characterized by the caespitose habit, short, unbranched, laterally compressed stems carrying thick, coriaceous, leaves and has a long, rat-tail-like, arching, nutant with basal long bracts and carrying many successively opening flowers.

GROUP Cernuum Characterized by the long, erect, cane-like stems with subapical branching and carrying oblong, subcoriaceous, obtuse leaves with flowers with a 3 lobed lip and a prominent, funnel-shapped clinandrum.

GROUP Chloe Characterized by the sympodial, caespitose plants with simple, very thin stems carrying grass-like, acuminate, suberect leaves and blooms on a racemose, lax, few flowered inflorescence with delicate flowers with a more or less cordate lip

GROUP Coronatum Characterized by the relatively large plants with stems carrying many leaves and blooming on an apical, racemose inflorescence without spathaceous bracts and large waxy flowers with a 3 lobed lip that is basally bicallose.

GROUP Cristatum Characterized by cane-like stems carrying many large, narrow leaves, the apical inflorescence subtended by several, large, acute, imbricating bracts through which arises a nutant, racemose inflorescence carrying fleshy flowers with a three lobed lip with entire margins.

GROUP Cuchibambae Characterized by the caespitose habit with simple stems carrying oblique leaves and blooms with 1 to 3 large, successive flowers with a deeply cordate, square lip with small auricles in relation to the rest of the lip arising on a distichous, rachis with large bracts

GROUP Diothonea Characterized by the branching habit, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, bilobed leaves, the arching-nutant, racemose inflorescence, membraneous to rarely fleshy flowers with an entire to 3 lobed lip with an erose margin, no calli with or without 1 to 10, thin, smooth to erose keels and the column united to the lip from totally to obliquely united to free.

GROUP Elleanthoides Characterized by thin, branching stems carrying narrow, grassy leaves and has a hair-thin peduncle of the inflorescence and carries successively opening, small delicate flowers

GROUP Epidanthus Characterized by the short, small somewhat scandent plants with very thin stems carrying very narrow, more or less fleshy leaves each one with a small, triangular, acute opposing ligule that blooms on an apical, distichous, usually secund inflorescence and has 2 to 4 pollina.

GROUP Epidendropsis
Characterized by the small, monopodial, branching plants with filiform, usually paniculate inflorescence without a spathe. Formerly given species status for the 2 pollina found in this group but that is inconsistent.

GROUP Excisum Characterized by the sympodial, caespitose habit and the cane-like stems carrying many leaves and 1 to 2 large spathes which give rise to a racemose to open panicle with a few branches carrying medium sized flowers with a three-lobed lip.

GROUP Eximium Characterized by the relatively short plants to 16" [40 cm] tall, the sympodial, non-branching, few leafed stems that blooms on an apical, generally racemose inflorescence that is short, shorter than the apical leaf and carrying bell shaped, showy, greenish yellow to green with brown or purple tinted flowers with an entire lip, and very small calli.

GROUP Filamentosum Characterized by thin, short, pendant stems arising from the previous stem carrying a single, persistent, apical, linear-lanceolate, acuminate leaf [the juvenile stem has several leaves] and an apical, short, racemose inflorescence and has successive, fleshy, narrowly 3 lobed, margin of the lateral lobes dentate to ciliate, the anther is narrowly ovoid and long surpasses the apex of the column.

GROUP Fruticosum Characterized by the caespitose to creeping habit with thin stems, subcoriaceous leaves and blooms on a racemose, few flowered inflorescence with greenish to purple tinged flowers with the disc of the lip fleshy thickened with 3 rounded keels

Group Goodspeedianum
Characterized by the sympodial, caespitose, cane like stems, paniculate inflorescence, leaves with prominently marked veins, flowers with an entire lip and the margin erose to fimbriate and has filiform petals.

GROUP Hemiscleria Characterized by the caespitose habit, the simple stems with numerous oblong-lanceolate leaves subparallell to the stem, an apical inflorescence with a strong peduncle and a very thick rachis with racemose, subglobose, dense, produced in a fascile around the rachis, fleshy, hard, bright orange-yellow flowers.

GROUP Jatunsachanum Characterized by the caespitose habit, many narrow leaves, the apical and or lateral inflorescence that produce new inflorescence through time, a long and thin column, flowers with filiform petals, a three lobed lip with a bifid midlobe with the apical margins fimbriate and carrying 2 small calli, the disc with 1 to 3, low rounded, fleshy keels, and obovoid, laterally compressed pollina with soft, granulose caudicles that are longer than the pollina

GROUP Kalopternix Characterized by the single to few reddish-brown purple flowers, often resupinate, the petals narrower than the sepals, the lip more or less cordiform, sometimes apically 3 lobed, ecallose, usually with a thickened, low, rounded rib running down the middle, the column is short and forms a right angle with the ovary which is also short.

Group Kockii Characterized by the caespitose habit, with 1 to 2, fleshy succulent leaves, an inflorescence subtended by 1 to 2 spathaceous bracts and 1 to 3 resupinate or not flowers with a prominent, fleshy, vernicose, 3 lobed lip.

GROUP Lanium Characterized by the puberulent to ciliate peduncle, ovary and or tepals and was considered a separate genus on the presence of an undivided lip which is attached only at the base of the gynostemium.

GROUP Laterale Characterized by the sympodial, caespitose habit with fusiform, 1 leafed pseudobulbs that blooms on a simple, distichous, apical inflorescence arising from a rudimentary pseudobulb and carrying fleshy, pale green flowers.

GROUP Loefgrenii Characterized by the sympodial, caespitose plants blooming on a terminal, subumbelliform inflorescence subtended by prominent, wide, truncate, spathaceous bracts and has an ovary with an inflated nectary that forms a vesicle.

GROUP Macrostachyum Characterized by the erect, branching, cane-like stems giving rise to an erect to arching, many flowered inflorescence without a spathe, the very fleshy lip that is folded and embracing the column and a pubescent to papillose nectary in front of the stigmatic cavity

GROUP Magnoliae SUBGROUP Propinquum Characterized by a sympodial, bush-like habit with thin stems carrying subcoriaceous leaves and blooms on a racemose, few flowered inflorescence with mostly yellow to pale green flowers sometimes marked with purple.

GROUP Mancum Characterized by the sympodial habit, narrow spathaceous bracts with parallel sides, an erect racemose inflorescence with non-resupinate flowers and a generally reduced, fleshy lip.

GROUP Megagastrium Characterized by the sympodial habit, with new stems arising from the middle node of the previous one, a prominent round to ovate spathe, a few non-resupinate flowers and a papillate, excavated disc of the lip

GROUP Megalospathum Characterized by the caespitose but branching habit, many leafed stem, fleshy, oblique leaves a short few flowered racemose inflorescence subtended by a large semi-ovate spathe carrying a few resupinate flowers with the column obliquely united to the lip, occasionally free.

GROUP Nanodes Characterized by the caespitose to creeping sympodial plants with the short stems enveloped completely by the base of the non-articulate, fleshy, imbricate leaves and having a sessile, few flowered inflorescence

GROUP Nanum Characterized by the Dichaea-like pendant stems with pairs of apposing flowers on an inflorescence without spathaceous bracts and has prominent floral bracts

GROUP Neowilliamsia Characterized by the ancipitous stems and rachis with conduplicate, acute bracts and usually non-resupinate flowers with an often digitate lip and has 2 pollina with 2, hard, laminar caudicles

GROUP Nocturnum Characterized by the simple stems carrying large star-shaped flowers usually with a 3-lobed lip

GROUP Oerstedella
Characterized by the sympodial habit, mostly verrucose stems, and the rostellum which is perpendicular to the axis of the column instead of parellel, forming a wide, open sinus, as well as not having a viscidium

GROUP PergracileCharacterized by the sympodial, caspitose to sometimes somewhat creeping habit, stems cane-like, simple, several leaved, with an elongate, apical, racemose, lax-flowered inflorescence, the flowers are star-shaped, membranaceous, the lip 3-lobed, not fleshy
thickened, bicallose, the mid-lobe rectangular to triangular, the lateral lobes dolabriform to semi-orbicular

GROUP Physinga Characterized by the generally small, caespitose plants with an apical, racemose inflorescence that produces new racemes in time and carries successively opening flowers with only one open at a time on an elongate peduncle with acuminate bracts, an entire lip and an ovary with a prominent vesicule.

GROUP Pilcuense Characterized by the short peduncle of the inflorescence and the 3 lobed lip

GROUP Pleuranthium Characterized by the caespitose habit, cane-like, elongate stems with several short, lateral inflorescence

GROUP Polychlamys Characterized by the successive lateral growths arising from the middle of the previous stem carrying a few leaves towards the apex and has a distichous, apical inflorescence with prominent, conduplicate, acute, glumaceous floral bracts

GROUP Porpax Characterized by the small creeping habit, succulent leaves and blooms with single flowers from a small spathaceous bract carrying mostly green flowers with a shiny wine-red lip.

GROUP Pseudepidendrum Characterized by the caespitose habit with cane-like stems carrying acute to acuminate leaves usually blooming on an apical inflorescence and carrying flowers with filiform petals, and a usually 3 lobed lip with 3 parallel fleshy keels, with the apical lobe often bifurcate and has "bird wing" type pollina.

GROUP Piperinum Characterized by the monopodial, short, branching habit, the filiform petals and the entire, ecallose lip

GROUP Psilantherum Characterized by the fusiform pseudobulbs, racemose to paniculate inflorescence usually arising from an aborted pseudobulb carrying attractive flowers with a 4 lobed lip with divaricate, oblong lobes and yellowish dotted reddish purple tepals

GROUP Quispei Characterized by the monopodial branching stems with the new ones arising from a subapical internode of the previous stem, the lack of spathaceous bracts, 1 to 2 bracts on the peduncle, a racemose inflorescence carrying star-shaped flowers with the petals somewhat narrower than the sepals and a deeply cordiform and acute lip.

GROUP Ramosum Characterized by the repent to erect, branching stems, the distichous inflorescence and the lip with a single callus

GROUP Refractoides Characterized by the sympodial, caespitose habit, laterally compressed stems, successive flowers and a generally sub-erect, paniculate inflorescence with the peduncle carrying up to 4 prominent, near the base, conduplicate, ancipitose bracts

GROUP Rupestre Characterized by the caespitose, sympodial habit, the pseudobulbous stems carrying 1 to 4 fully developed apical, leaves, no spathes at the base of the erect, racemose to paniculate inflorescence and an ecallose lip with several fleshy, thickened keels on the disc

GROUP Scabrum Characterized by a branching stem with infundibuliform, rugose, leaf sheaths and carrying acute, aristate, lanceolate leaves blooming on a short, thin, capitate inflorescence and has flowers with a bicallose lip.

Group Secundum
Characterized by the caespitose habit, the numerous coriaceous leaves, the generally elongate peduncle to pluriracemose inflorescence with brightly colored flowers generally pollinated by hummingbirds, with the caudicles of the pollinarium granulose, and the tetrads appearing like a loose stack of roof tiles.

GROUP Smaragdinum Characterized, by the caespitose, sympodial habit, the stem carrying many leaves of which the surface is parchment-like when dry, the thickened rachis and carrying small, successive, basically green flowers

GROUP Spathiger Characterized by the sympodial habit, coriaceous leaves, and the racemose, distichous inflorescence carrying fleshy green to purplish flowers

GROUP Takulumena Characterized by the small Vanda-like plants with simple imbricating, distichous leaves that blooms on a lateral, complicated inflorescence that produces new single flowered segments over several years.

GROUP Tandpanianum Characterized by the subcaespitose habit, 2 ranked leaves facing one side of the stem, single flowered inflorescence, with a large, triangular, bicallose lip

GROUP Ventricosum Characterized by the sympodial habit, the few leaved stem, the prominent spathaceous bract and the resupinate flowers, mostly bright purple with a wide, smooth nectary that does not penetrate the ovary

Group Violascens 2 hard, yellow-cream pollina distinguish this group and caused it to be placed in a new genus by Garay, Epidendropsis, which Hagsater feels is unessesary

Group Viridipurpureum Characterized by the caespitose, sympodial habit, the subcoriaceous leaves, the prominent spathaceous bracts and the wide [not filiform] petals, the pollina that is laterally compressed but not quite to the bird wing type, and the midlobe of the lip is bifid.

This is a genus of 40 or so rare species spread across South East Asia and out to the Philippines where they are found as epiphytes with angular psuedobulbs on a creeping rhizome and apical, coriaceous, oblong to ovate leaves. The flowers have tri-lobed, pandurate labellum with erect lateral lobes and a ridged or lobate callus. The column is short and has a long foot. There are 4, collateral, oblong-ovoid to oblong-ellipsoid pollina without caudicles or glands. They are best mounted on tree fern or in shallow baskets and given warm to cool, humid, shady conditions.

Common Name or Meaningrefers to the chin-like structure that is formed by the lateral sepals and the column foot which are fused together

This genus has 2 species found in South America and are characterized by the soft roots, the cane-like slender stems, the non articulated and very lightly parellel-veined leaves with the leaves and bracts disimilar, a terminal inflorescence with very small, distichously arranged flowers, the sepals and petals free, a basally saccate lip, with 1 pair of kidney shaped [or rarely 2 pairs] of fleshy calli in the cavity, s column wothout appendages below the stigma, an anther bending down to become operculate on the column and eight soft pollina.

Common Name or Meaning A composite of the names Epidendrum and Evelyna, the habit of the plants resembles that former and the flowers the later.

There are approximately 73 species in this terrestrial, cool growing genus found in the temperate zones of Europe, middle east, Asia and America. These orchids have a horizontal rhizome and fleshy roots and giving rise to a spiral of plicate leaves and blooming witha terminal , erect, racemose, leafy, laxly to densely few t omany flowered inflorescence and carrying pedicellate, spreading to pendant flowers with free subsimilar, spreading to connivent sepals and petals. The lip is bilobed, and fleshy while the hypochile is cooncave and the epichile is flat to slightly convex, porrect and has raisedsweeling towards the base. The short column has a large rostellum and 2, mealy globose pollina.

There are 3 species in this mycoheterotrophic genus found in Europe, Africa, Asia, and from Malaysia out to Australia. The plant has a fleshy, coral like rhizome that has a thick scaly leafless stem and blooms with a few to many large and complex flowers. The tepals are free and more or less equal and has a sessile on the short coliumn base, fleshy, wider, concave, spurred, entire to 3 lobed,undualte, erose lip with a papillose to pilose disc. The cloumn is short, has a membraneous clinandrum without a foot. The stigma is broad and prominent, the rostellum is broad and distant from the stigma and there are 2 broad, bifid, granular pollina each with a slender, rudimentary caudicle attched to a single viscidium.

Common Name or Meaning refers to the upturned lip appears to form a beard

There are 21 species in this genus that is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and one species in Trinidad that are cool to hot growing terrestrials and are similar to Sobralia in growth habit and the short flower duration. Characterized by having erect, herbaceous, cane-like stems carrying veined leaves, a terrminal inflorescence with big showy flowers with a glandless lip base and 4 soft, mealy pollina

Common Name or Meaning refers to the perianths being surrounded by an outer calyx forming a wreath or crown at the apex of the ovary

There are about 370 species in this large genus of little cultivated orchids that are found across tropical Asia and out through the Pacific Islands to Fiji. Their habitats vary from the coastal seashores to the frost-line of the Himalayas and they grow as Epiphytes, lithophytes and sometimes as terrestrials. Being such a large aggregate of species there is no set culture for this group and it should be individual species culture that is used. The flowers are small to medium sized, and the sepals are free, sometimes connate, glabrous to hirsute, the lateral sepals are adnate to the elongate column foot forming a short to long, spur-like or gibbous mentum. The lip is sessile to the column foot and incumbent, rarely mobile, while the column is short, broad, often 2 winged, with a prominent foot and an imperfectly 4 loculed anther holding 8, waxy, pyriform to broadly ovoid, attached in fours with narrow bases to the viscidium.

Common Name or Meaning refering to the wooly hairs many species flowers in this genus possess

There are 9 species in this terrestrial genus endemic to Australia occuring in open forests and scrublands. Globose tubers give rise to an erect, unbranched stem with a membraneous cataphyl at eh apical node and carrying a single, basal or perched above the ground on an extended petiolate base, mostly ovate, subcoriaceous, glabrous to hairy, entire to undulate margins, acute leaf that blooms on an erect, 1 to few flowered inflorescence.

There are 5 species in Costa Rica south to Peru and Brazil of this epiphytic, and sometimes terrestiasls on steep embankments, genus. This genus is characterized by having large, black, cylindrical pseudobulbs carrying 2 to 3 stiff plicate leaves, a basal inflorescence that arises with spurless flowers that have free sepals and petals, a trilobed lip which is not concave at the baseand 2 hard pollina attached to a triangular viscidium.

Two epiphytic Mexican species were segregated from Oncidium to form this genus because of it's dwarf column, long sigmoid rostellum and very large fleshy column arms as well as having a three lobed lip.

There are 100 species in this panglobal genus of terrestrial herbs occurign in wet forests of SE Asia and the Americas with fleshy hairy roots, cauline, petiolate leaves and small, thin, occasionally downy flowers with a well developed spur or mentum at the base of the lip. The short column has a setaceous,acumiante apex and a stima and 2 pollina

Common Name or Meaning refers to the fact that many flowers in this genus have red perianths

A saprophytic genus with 2 to 3 species with long, branching, climbing stems giving rise to scale leaves only and bloom on an erect many successively 1 to 2 flowered inflorescence that lengthens in time and carrying wide open, short lived, sepals and petals glabrous, the petals narrower than the sepals, lip with a median pubescent ridge and small transverse ridges on either side, a column with a very short foot, 2 solid, soft pollina and dry, large, winged seeds occuring from India to Taiwan and Japan to the north and all of SE Asia south to Australia.

Euanthe is a monotypic genus with the species name sanderiana and is found in the Philippines. It is distinguished from Vandas by it's 2 parted lip with it's ballooning hypochile and it's full evenly shaped sepals and petals. This genus is warm growing and appreciates bright light and plenty of water and fertilizer year round with no rest. This plant is crossed with Vandas and Ascoscendas to produce many awarded hybrids. Notice the color pattern change from the dorsal sepal and petals from the lower sepals a pattern that is common in many hybrids and this genus is the genetic reason why.

This newly formed genus was obtained by removing two species from the genus Encyclia that just did not fit as they have a glaucous appearance of gray or gray green foliage and psuedobulbs along with a central tooth on the apex of the lip that tends to be fleshy and is longer than the the two lateral teeth extending beyond the anther cap.

This genus has 202 species spread throughout tropical Americas, Asia and South Africa. They are characterized by being terrestrial, rarely epiphyic and are tall, having globose corms, short stalks and long plicate leaves. The inflorescence is basal and can attain a length of 15' [5 meters] with a raceme of several, medium sized flowers with lateral sepals that arch upwards, a lip that is deeply concave at the base and carries longitudinal crests on it's blade. There is a long foot on the column carrying two pollina with a stipe.

There are 2 species in this genus segregated from Chondrorhyncha and differs in having the clinandrium more towards the apex of the column and the stigma is a different shape. This genus also lacks the ventral tooth at the base of the column foot. This gernus and Echinorhyncha are similar in the shape of the flower, the callus and the lip structure.

Common Name or Meaning The Blanket or Cover Orchid [refers to the shape of the callus]

There are 7 species in this terrestrial genus confined to Malesia with a fleshy, creeping rhizome giving rise to a fleshy, erect, leafy stem carrying several, ovate, very dark green above, purple below leaves that blooms on a terminal, laxly many flowered, pubescent inflorescence with small sessile, resupinate, usually pubescent ont he outer surface flowers with the dorsal sepal forming a hood over the column, free laterral sepals, smaller petals that are adnate to the dorsal sepal, a bipartite to obscurely trilobed, somewhat pandurate lip with a concave basal part and the apice is small and ovate to transversely oblong, with a prominent basal spur which has a wide open mouth and two sessile apical glands, a porrect, short column with a truncate rostellum and 4 pollina.

Twenty species at present make up this minature sized epiphytic genus occuring from Central America to Bolivia and is characterized by a tight rossete of leaves , a terminal inflorescence that is usually pendant and has a dense head of resupinate, spurless flowers with a sagittate lip at the base, an elongate slender column, a blunt fleshy rostellum and 4 soft pollina.

Common Name or Meaning Means Broad Column - a mistake by Wawra as he had a deformed plant to write up

This is a monotypic terrestrial genus occuring in southwestern South Africa and has an unbranched stem carrying hyaline leaf sheaths below the cauline, linear-lanceolate, acute leaves that blooms on a terminal, erect, dense, many flowered inflorescence with resupinate, cupped white and maroon flowers

There are close to 62 species in Central and South America that are terrestrial or epiphytic herbs found in woodlands. They are characterized by by a basal rosette of leaves and a terminal inflorescence carrying nonresupinate flowers with the lateral sepals free from the dorsal, a helmet shaped lip and 2 soft pollina. They are found throughout tropical America as cool to warm growing terrestrials of wet montane forests at elevations of 500 to 3200 meters.

Neptune Designs is celebrating it's 20th year here in tropical Key
West making quality jewelry with nature in mind. We specialize in 14
karat orchid flower and coin jewelry but manufacture all kinds of 14
Karat gold and gemstone jewelry.